The Osceola times., 1887-09-10
QUAINT CEREMONlAlS.
Two Fanciful Good Friday Customs OBJ
served In the City Of London.

I
A quaint and curious custom has
been practiced for over four hundred
years on Good Friday in the church.
yard of st. Bartholomew-the-Grcat,
Smithfeld, once the finest Norman
church in London. and still exhibiting
in what is left of it great architectural
beauty in the grandeur of its Norman
arcades. In this churchyard, on Good
Friday, twenty-one poor wicows be-
longing to the parish are assembled
round q fiat stone tomb of an "un-
known person." and each widow
"picks up" therefrom new sixpence,
! twenty-one of these coins having been
placed there by the church wardens.
The origin Of this charitable dole is un.
known. There are no traces of any
will, nor is there any fund set apart for
this purpose; but the few shillngs
necessary are usually subscribed by tive
or three of the parishioners. The le-
gend referring to the dole is, that some
centuries ago an old widow lady, a res
ident in the parish, directed by her
will that her tomb in the churchyard
should be visited by twenty-onc aged
widows after mathis every Good Friday
morning, and that they should there
and then each pick up new six
pence" to be laid on the fiat top of the
stone in readiness for them. Although
this curious custom has been observed
for four hundred years, the name OF
the founder has been lost, and even her
tomb is unknown. The old ladies, how
ever, are accommodated at large Hat
stone without name, where the dole
is regularly paid every Good Friday
morning.
Another very fanciful custom is oh.
served on Good-Friday morning by di.
reclion Of pious citizen named Peter
Symonds, who died in 1886. by his
will he directed that sixty of the young
est boys of Christ's Hospital. commonly
called the "Blue-coat School," should
attend mathis every Good-Fridav
morning in the church of Allhallows,
Lombard street, the testator's parish;
and after the service was over, each
boy was to receive new penny and
bag of raisins. This practice is strictly
carried ont at the present day; the
raisns are placed in paper bags, and
the pennies, perfectly new from the
bank, procured for the occasion. Fully
appreciating the good deed of Sy-
monds, another citizen, William Petts
by name, who died in the year 1892. by
his will directed that 1.-THE minister who
preached the sermon on Good-Frday
morning to the sixty Blue-coat Boys
should receive fee of twenty shil-
lings; the clerk four shillings;
the sexton, three shillings and
sixpence.' This ceremony is strictly
carried out every Good-Friday morn
inc. the churehwardens benevolently
adding an additional grant. in order
that the children of the ward and Sun
day-schools might also partake of some
of the nice things appertaining to the
Good-Friday hospitalities. On the last
occasion, very large congregation
assembled at the church of Allhallows
TO hear the sermon and witness the
singular and interesting ceremonial.
The ancient city of London is re
markable for many curious customs
having their origin centuries back, to
which, perhaps. we may allude more
fully at a future time. The two above
referred to are, however, the only ones
we believe associated with Good-Frf
day. Qkspsbery' Jvsnak